doctor georges phillipe trousseau, royal physiciandoctor trousseau was called on as a consultant by...

JEAN GREENWELL

Doctor Georges Phillipe Trousseau,Royal Physician

Dr. Trousseau was a charming and very able man . . . muchthought of by everyone. . . .

From notes kept by W. Herbert Purvis,Kukuihaele, Hawai'i, 18791

Of the Dr. George Trousseau, . . . I need only say, that he is anadventurous Frenchman, with whose printed record in Paris, andmoral career in Honolulu, I will not soil this paper.

Statement of John L. Stevens,U.S. Minister to Hawai'i, 18922

DOCTOR GEORGES PHILLIPE TROUSSEAU (fig. 1), a physician andfriend of several of Hawai'i's monarchs, often provoked such dog-matic and diverse opinions as those expressed above. This articlewill explore his life, particularly those years spent in Hawai'iwhere he was often in the public eye.

Georges Trousseau was born in 1833 to a prominent Parisianfamily. His father, Armand Trousseau, a distinguished physicianand surgeon, was also the author of medical books used through-out the world.3

Georges Trousseau at the age of 21 married Edna Vaunois, whowas also from Paris. At the birth of his two sons, Armond andRene in 1856 and 1857, his profession was listed as an agriculteur,

Jean Greenwell, West Hawai'i resident and an associate of the Kona Historical Society, hascontributed several articles to the Journal .

The Hawaiian Journal of History, vol. 25(1991)

121

122 THE HAWAIIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY

FIG. I. Doctor Georges Phillipe Trousseau. (BPBM photo collection.)

perhaps indicating a gentleman farmer since his home addresswas in the center of Paris.4 He was to follow his father's profes-sion, however, and graduated in Paris as a physician in 1858.5

In 1865, Madame Trousseau was legally separated from herhusband.6 Shortly after his father's death in 1867, Trousseau leftFrance for Australia, penniless. What his life was like in Australiahas not been discovered, but it appears not to have been a pros-perous time since Madame Trousseau loaned him money on threeoccasions while he was there.7

The well-known name of Trousseau in medicine must havepreceeded him to Hawai'i. Almost immediately upon his arrivalin Hawai'i in 1872 from Auckland, New Zealand, he wasappointed by the Board of Health to serve as Port Physician forHonolulu.8 Smallpox had recently been introduced to Hawai'ifrom San Francisco. Doctor Trousseau handled this epidemicwith expertise and soon had the disease under control, there beingbut 37 cases and only 18 deaths.9 This was Trousseau's first

DOCTOR GEORGES PHILLIPE TROUSSEAU I23

encounter with the Board of Health. He was associated with theBoard for the next 20 years, often serving as a member and for ashort time as its president.

In his capacity as a physician, he also cared for the inmates ofthe insane asylum and supervised the leper treatment center, bothlocated in Kalihi.10

Doctor Trousseau was called on as a consultant by Doctor Fer-dinand W. Hutchison, Minister of the Interior, during Kameha-meha V's last illness and was at the King's bedside when hedied.11 King Lunalilo, who succeeded Kamehameha V, ap-pointed Trousseau a colonel on his personal staff.12 FollowingLunalilo's brief reign, Kalakaua was elected King of the Hawai-ian Islands, and Trousseau was his physician and became a closefriend. Trousseau was truly a royal physician.

This talented man had many interests other than medicine. Inthe mid-i87os, he gave up his Honolulu medical practice andmoved to Kona, Hawai'i, where he purchased a sheep and cattleranch high on the slopes of Mauna Loa. He later became a partowner and manager of a sugar plantation in Hamakua, Hawai'i.

The last years of his life were spent in Honolulu where he hadreturned to the practice of medicine. But, again, medicine did notcommand his complete attention. In 1890, the first ostriches forhis ostrich farm in Kapahulu, near Waikikl, arrived. These valu-able birds caught the public's fancy, and they received a good dealof attention in the local press.13

It was Trousseau's outspoken support of Queen Lili'uokalaniand the royalist position, however, that generated a great deal ofcriticism toward him during the overthrow of the Monarchy andthe period following in which the annexationists controlled thegovernment.

Trousseau died at his home on Punchbowl Street in 1894. Hehad made out his will earlier in the year and left everything to hismistress, Makanoe, the widow of Kaaepa.

THE BOARD OF HEALTH AND LEPROSY

To return to his years as a Honolulu physician, in 1873 DoctorTrousseau served with E. O. Hall, Samuel G. Wilder, and

124 T H E HAWAIIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY

Charles Gulick on the newly appointed Board of Health. Early inFebruary of that year, he was appointed by the Board to be incharge of the medical care for the Kalihi Leper Asylum.14

In 1865, the legislature of the Hawaiian Islands had passed "AnAct to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy." This law called for a placeto be set aside for the isolation of those found to have leprosy inorder to curb the spread of the disease.15 It was not until 1873,however, on Doctor Trousseau's recommendation, that a vigor-ous effort was made to segregate lepers.16

In March of 1873, Doctor Trousseau and Samuel Wilder gave areport to the Board of Health of their recent visit to Moloka'i.Trousseau strongly urged that the only method at all likely to besuccessful in the possible extermination of leprosy was "theimmediate, energetic and to, a certain extent unsympathetic iso-lation of all who were afflicted with the disease. . . ,"17

It was not long after this renewed effort at segregation beganthat the following article appeared in the Hawaiian and Englishlanguage newspaper, Nuhou:

Considerable excitement was roused on Wednesday last by thereport of an uprising of lepers at Kalihi, and of an attempt to shootDr. Trousseau. . . .

Among the suspected lepers detained at Kalihi for treatmentand probation, was one Jim, a well known shipping agent andboat-boy, who has long been suspected of having the dread disease.The Doctor appointed for the purpose decided that he had had itand during his visit on Wednesday fixed on him as one of those tobe exiled to Molokai. Jim violently resisted the fatal decree, andpleaded in vain, that he was the victim not of leprosy, but of awadrinking, and finally in reckless despair, attempted to shoot Dr.Trousseau, and being by God's providence foiled in his fell pur-pose by the accidental dropping of the cap off his pistol. . . .

We are happy to hear that the brave doctor escaped un-hurt. . . .18

The year of 1873 P r o v ed to be a busy one for the Doctor. InApril, he was appointed "medical charge" of the Insane Asylumat Kalihi with a yearly salary of $1,200.19 He was also serving as astaff doctor along with Doctor Robert McKibbon Jr. at Queen's

DOCTOR GEORGES PHILLIPE TROUSSEAU 125

Hospital. Nuhou noted that the hospital was "under the intelligentdirection of the hospital physicians, McKibbon and Trous-seau."20

Dr. Trousseau frequently visited the leper settlement at Kalau-papa on Moloka'i. He took a special interest in Peter Kaeo, theDowager Queen Emma's cousin, who was a patient there.21

In July, a column written by Dr. Trousseau appeared in theAdvertiser which expressed his views on leprosy. He stated that lep-rosy is not infectious nor contagious in the true sense of the word,merely by contact. He went on to say, however:

The promiscuous habits of the natives, and their renowned hospi-tality are such, that they are pretty sure to catch the least conta-gious of diseases. Isolation, and thorough isolation, as the Boardunderstands it, and is carrying it out, will be one of the most effi-cient means of arresting the progress of the disease. . . .22

After working with lepers for many years he modified this opinionand felt he could no longer support the practice of segregation.23

ROYAL PHYSICIAN

By mid-August of 1873, ^ became apparent that King Lunalilowas extremely ill. Doctor Trousseau was quoted as saying, "hecannot live very much longer, unless he totally abstains from theuse of intoxicating drinks."24 Lili'uokalani, the future Queen,wrote, "By the advice of Dr. Trousseau, the king's physician, itwas decided to go to Kailua; and thither went the royalparty. . . ."25 Trousseau accompanied this stately group andstayed with Lunalilo at Hulihe'e in Kailua, Kona, from midNovember to the middle of January 1874. After about twomonths, it became apparent that Lunalilo was not going torecover, and the royal party returned to Honolulu where Lunalilodied on February 3.

On February 12, 1874, Kalakaua was elected King of the Hawai-ian Islands. It was a bitter election between Kalakaua and theDowager Queen Emma. Following the election, a huge crowdgathered at the courthouse, and a riot ensued. The riot was even-


tually quelled with the arrest of about ioo of the protestors. San-ford B. Dole described Kalakaua as a timid man and said that fol-lowing his election to the throne of Hawai'i he was found byC. T. Gulick and Doctor Trousseau hiding in a wooden houseopposite the palace.26 Another account of that incident said thatDavid Kalakaua hid in Doctor Trousseau's home during the elec-tion and the riot which followed.27

Throughout 1874 and the first half of 1875, Trousseau remainedactive with the Board of Health and the Kalihi Leper Asylum. Inthe spring of 1874, he accompanied King Kalakaua on a visit tothe leper settlement on Moloka'i. Nuhou reported:

The King kindly spoke to his suffering people and having causedan especial medical examination, several were pronounced byDoctor Trousseau as no longer showing any leprous indications.. . . Dr. Trousseau is indefatigable in his investigations. He showsthe spirit of the true man of science. He handled filthy cases inorder to illustrate to medical observers particular points. . . .28

Not long after this visit, Trousseau recommended to the Boardof Health that all kokua (helpers), who accompanied afflicted lovedones in order to care for them, be removed from the leper settle-ment. This was a controversial statement and certainly an unpop-ular one with the patients at Kalaupapa.29

RANCHING IN KONA

Near the end of September in 1875, Trousseau resigned from theBoard of Health and moved to Kona on the island of Hawai'i.30

In October, he negotiated a bill of sale with Charles Wall for$12,500 for 6,500 sheep, 2,000 goats, horses, mules, beef cattle,and pigs, and a $6,000 mortgage on the lease of a large acreage inmauka (inland) Keauhou.31

Perhaps it was about this time that Trousseau entered into arelationship with Makanoe and her husband Kaaepa. The Ha-waiians call this punalua, an agreeable association in which twowomen, often sisters, share one husband, or, as in Makanoe'scase, two men share the affection of one woman.32 It may have


been during Trousseau's two months stay in Kona with Lunalilothat he first met Makanoe and her husband. This proved to be along-lasting union. Kaaepa died in 1894 just a few months beforeTrousseau's death.33 Makanoe, Trousseau's heir, buried her hus-band and Trousseau side by side in a wrought iron fenced plot atMakiki Cemetery on O'ahu.

Both Makanoe's and Kaaepa's names appear on the LanakilaChurch membership roll in 1875. There is, however, a small nota-tion by each of their names; by Makanoe is written " 'oki"(excommunicate), and next to Kaaepa is "hihia" (trouble orentanglement).34 So, in spite of the agreeable punalua relationshipthey apparently had with Trousseau, it seems not to have beenlooked upon aspono or morally correct in the eyes of the church.

Trousseau was actively involved with his ranch lands from 1875to 1879. A number of improvements were made on the property. Aroad was constructed which ran from Kanahaha, a sheep stationon Mauna Loa, to the beach at Kainaliu. This old cart road isused by jeeps today and is known as the Trousseau Trail. AtKanahaha there was a wool press. The wool was baled there andtransported by cart to Kainaliu Beach, from where it wasshipped. At Kainaliu Trousseau had an attractive thatched roofhouse built on a stone platform. Roof iron later replaced thethatch, and the house stood for many years, eventually serving asa storehouse for honey.

Several other houses were built by Trousseau on the Keauhouland. At Pulehua, about two miles from Kanahaha, he con-structed a comfortable and picturesque house that was used foryears by ranchers until it burned down in 1980.35 Contact with theroyal family continued even from this isolated location. Trous-seau wrote, "King Kalakaua appealed to me to form a cabinet,once coming all the way to Kona, Hawaii, all alone, but for anative retainer, to a place 5,000 feet up Mauna Loa. . . ."36

There were also trips to Honolulu. Found among QueenEmma's notes was this memo about the classes for Native womenthat were organized by the Ladies Guild of St. Andrew's Cathedral:

We have a women's English class and mens also at our priest'shouse. The two numbers 100 now. (Kalehua's) wife says Doctor


Trousseau's mistress who is in one of the classes told them that theDoctor praises the effort very much on our part. . . .37

In April of 1877, Trousseau received word of the death of hismother. He considered returning to Paris and wrote from theKeauhou sheep station to his friend Alexander J. Cartwright, aHonolulu businessman:

Although my financial situation is going to be altered a great deal Iwish she had lived many more years to enjoy her money that nei-ther myself or my sister need. I might go to Paris to settle the busi-ness there but I would certainly return and remain in the Sand-wich Islands now my home. I have up here a business in which Ihave confidence and that I like and will carry out.38

Trousseau had a great deal of correspondence with the Depart-ment of Interior regarding land while he was living in Kona.He added several kuleana (property, claim) to his property aswell as a lease from the government on a large piece of land inthe ahapua'a (land section) of Honalo adjoining his Keauhousheep ranch.39

In June of 1877, m e Lanakila Church deacon's meeting minutesreveal that Makanoe came before the church officials with mihi(repentance). She was accepted back into the church family, andsoon after, her son Keoki (the Hawaiian spelling of George) wasbaptized. Makanoe and Kaaepa were named as the parents. InOctober of the following year, Makanoe's name was againbrought forward for discussion by the deacons. This time she wasexcommunicated from the church for committing the sin of moeko-lohe dkea (blatant adultery).40

Early in 1879, Trousseau sold all of his holdings in Kona toHenry N. Greenwell.41 In a little over three years, he hadincreased his livestock to 11,000 sheep, 5,000 goats, 14 horses, 10mules, and 70 beef cattle, plus 3 pigs.42 Besides the animals andland, he included in the sale numerous buildings and growingcrops of every description with the exception of one-half the grow-ing taro which he reserved. He also kept for himself the Kainaliubeach house which he later gave to Makanoe.


THE SUGAR PLANTER—HAMAKUA

In the spring of 1879, shortly after the sale of the sheep ranch,Trousseau bought out two sugar planters at Kukuihaele on theHamakua coast. He became partners in the Pacific Sugar Millwith the Purvis family. Trousseau had an excellent relationshipwith John Purvis and his son Herbert. In October, he wasappointed manager of the Sugar Mill Company and moved intothe manager's house. Near the end of the month, John arrivedand wrote, "Put up by Dr. Trousseau, the Manager, a singularlygentlemanly well informed and active man in mind and body."43

Herbert Purvis was actively involved in the plantation andwrote about the partnership, "I was fortunate in this arrangementas Dr. Trousseau was a man much thought of by everyone andunder his authority I learned much."44

The plantation thrived for a time, and the share holders ofPacific Mill agreed that Doctor Trousseau's salary should beraised to $250 per month.

John Purvis left Kukuihaele in the spring of 1880. He noted inhis diary, "Left Kukuihaele about 10 A.M. where I have been sinceOctober under Dr. T.'s most hospitable roof and whose agreeablelady did much to make time pass agreeably. . . ."

By late summer, however, the mill was experiencing some diffi-culty. John received letters from Dr. Trousseau and Mr. Schaefer,their agent in Honolulu, giving a somewhat discouraging accountof the difficulties encountered at Kukuihaele due to defects in thefurnaces of the mill.45

Young Purvis wrote, "We continued to extend our plantingoperations under money advanced from our Agents in Honoluluand assisted by my father till Dr. Trousseau suddenly and unex-pectedly, in 1881 decided to leave and gave me the option ofpurchasing his half-share of our plantation."

The Saturday Press in Honolulu headlined, "Manager PacificSugar Mill at Kukuihaele, Hawaii—resigns and is presented witha gold watch by employees." The story followed:

Doctor Trousseau who has been manager of the Pacific Sugar Millat Kukuihaele for 3 years past on severing his connections with the

I30 THE HAWAIIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY

plantation was presented, by employees, most of whom have beenon the plantation during the entire period of his management, withthe handsomest gold watch and chain to be had in Honolulu onwhich is engraved the following inscription 'Presented to DoctorTrousseau by his friends and employees at the Pacific Sugar Millin token of their respect and esteem February 1,1882.' . . .46

Early in 1881, Trousseau's estranged wife started proceedings inParis, France, to regain money she felt was owed to her by herhusband. She claimed at the time of their legal separation that hewas already in debt to her for a large amount and that since thattime she had paid for or given her husband other sums of money.Among the various amounts due her was 750 francs paid byMadame Trousseau to redeem Trousseau's own watch and chainas well as his father's from the pawn office of Marseilles.47 OnMarch 17, Trousseau deeded several pieces of land he owned inKona over to Makanoe.48

In July of 1882, a discontinuance was filed in the First CircuitCourt of Honolulu because an agreement had been reached inMarch between Madame Trousseau and Doctor Trousseau re-garding the money owed to her by him. At that time, he paid hera portion of his debt and promised to continue paying off the restas he was able. This was, however, the only payment he evermade, and the large debt was left to continue to grow.49

HONOLULU

By May of 1882, Trousseau had resumed his medical practice at 73Punchbowl Street, opposite the Makiki gate of Queen's Hospital.He was reappointed by the Board of Health as Port Physician forHonolulu.50 At this time, Walter Murray Gibson was President ofthe Board. He shared Trousseau's opinion concerning the segre-tation of lepers and often expressed these thoughts in his newspa-per Nuhou.51

In January of 1885, Father Damien, on a visit to Honolulu fromthe leper settlement on Moloka'i, accidentally scalded his left footand felt no pain. Doctor Trousseau, who was supervising theleper treatment center at Kalihi, diagnosed Father Damien ashaving leprosy.52


It was in mid-1885 that J . Marion Sims's book, The Story of MyLife, reached Hawai'i . Sims, a pioneer in gynecology, had beenpresident of the American Medical Association and a friend ofDr. Trousseau's father. A number of pages were devoted to thepraise of the senior Trousseau: " . . . the great Trousseau, one ofthe greatest physicians of the age, a man endowed with physicalbeauty as well as fine intellect, etc.53 . . ." Following this com-mendation of the senior Trousseau, Sims had this to say about theson Georges:

He had an only son, who was a scape-grace. He was a gambler andevery thing else that was bad. His father was worried to death withhis dissoluteness and foolish extravagance, and had to pay enor-mous sums of money to extricate him from his disgraceful orgiesand gambling complications. He was married to a fine women,who ought to have made any man happy, but he neglected andmade her miserable.

Near the end of the chapter about the senior Trousseau, headded:

He had not seen his son for a long time before he died. About afortnight or three weeks before this event his son went to one of thegambling hells of Paris and lost all his money, and more than hecould pay besides. He became desperate, rushed madly from thescene of disaster determined to end his miserable existence; but,on second thought, he concluded, when he got into the cool way ofthe Place de Concorde, to write parting lines to his wife andmother. On reaching his apartment he accordingly wrote to eachthat he had been unworthy of them, and that he would be no moreby the time they received his notes. They naturally supposed thathe had committed suicide. His poor father died soon after this, andhis unworthy son saw a notice of his death in a London paper thenext day; and I saw the tall, handsome, wretched man bendingheart-broken over his great father's coffin. . . .

Georges Trousseau wrote to Doctor George Fitch, residentphysician at the Board of Health, commenting on Sim's book:

Sir, I hear from various sources much at the Drill of the HonoluluRifles a day or two ago you mentioned what Marion Sims says


about myself in his posthumous book, which book I have read, andown. I have the greatest respect for the memory of Marion Sims,who was one of my father's friends. One thing I always have had ahorror of has been to sail under false colors, there fore I own that Iam the person mentioned in his book, and that most of his accusa-tions although written in a sensational way are true. Wheneverpeople have desired to know my past history, I have made no secretof it, and you will understand that had I not, as well as many inthis underworld, a skeleton in my closet, I would not be in Hono-lulu, as you will admit, after reading whatever you have read, thatif I had been wiser, I might by this day have in Paris a far differentposition from the one I have in this little corner of the earth.

I will rectify only a few statements of Marion Sims accusations.My poor father died, not of grief on my account (I know by per-

sonal experience that nobody dies of grief) but from cancer of thestomach. I never left my father's bedside for the last two months ofhis life, gave him myself every hypodermic injection he had to get,as often as every two hours during the last fortnight and he was inour house 13 Rue Cassmar in Paris during these last two months.

My father never knew much of my affairs and died believing merich and provided for forever.

The rest is true with the exception that I never drank and lostmy money, no one else's, at the club, in stock speculation, at theGolden and on the race course.

My father died June 23,1867.In July of the same year, after providing for the education of my

two sons, the eldest now a successful occultist in Paris, I left forAustralia penniless, came here very poor in 1872 and think Dr.Fitch, that in these nearly 20 years, I have lived down my past life.If you do not think so others do. . . .

Yours Very Truly, G. Trousseau.5*

By 1886, Trousseau had settled back into Honolulu city life.Henry Greenwell from Kona called on him in his PunchbowlStreet home and noted in his journal, "Dr. Trousseau has a pic-turesque house or houses, and the rooms are most tastefully fittedup. He has quite a talent for architecture and interior decora-tion."55

Trousseau was appointed President of the Board of Health onJuly 7, 1887.56 This appointment resulted from the arrest of Walter


Murray Gibson and his son-in-law, Fred H. Hayselden. Gibson,who played such a prominent role in King Kalakaua's regime,had been serving as head of the Board and Hayselden as theBoard's secretary. They were arrested on charges of embezzle-ment of public funds.57 President Trousseau announced to theBoard the day of his appointment that he was unable for thepresent to proceed with current business of the office on accountof the keys, papers, and other materials being still in the posses-sion of Hayselden, in custody at the O'ahu jail.58

Later in the year, Doctor Nathaniel B. Emerson, a missionarydescendent, replaced Trousseau as President of the Board andthanked him for his able and valuable services rendered duringhis tenure as president.59 Trousseau remained a member of theBoard.

In September, a group from the island of Kaua'i requested aleper settlement be established on their island. Trousseau stronglyopposed this petition. He continued to propose the complete seg-regation of lepers on Moloka'i.60

Although no longer president, Trousseau remained active onthe Board of Health and introduced many motions. Lorrin A.Thurston, a member of the Board, and Trousseau often backedeach other's proposals,61 although Thurston had helped to engi-neer the 1887 "Bayonet Constitution" which drastically reducedKalakaua's powers. Thurston would later became Trousseau'sadversary.

Trousseau was again serving as Port Physician. He stated forthe benefit of the Board that there was no salary attached to theoffice of Port Physician and that he was at liberty to charge whatfee he liked although the usual charge was $25. He said it was amatter entirely between the ship or agents and the Port Physician,the Board of Health having nothing to do in the matter.62

In December of 1887, Trousseau resigned from the Boardalthough he stayed in close touch with them and was often invitedto meetings as a consultant during the following year.63 Heremained a member of the Examining Board of Physicians andtestified before the Board of Health in that capacity on June 15,1888. At that particular meeting, regular business was postponed,and the matter of segregation of lepers and the treatment of lepers


was taken up. Trousseau stated that in his opinion every lepershould be sent to Moloka'i and treated there.64

Trousseau still served as Port Physician in 1889 and 1890 anddealt mainly with Japanese immigrants.65 It was around this timethat he along with others helped to revive the sport of yachting inHonolulu.

THE OSTRICH FARM

The first ostriches for Trousseau's famous ostrich farm arrived inmid-1890 on board the Australia from California.66 In these Victo-rian times, great value was given to the feathers of these birds forladies' hats and for decoration, and Trousseau hoped to make thisa profitable enterprise. The farm was located in the Kapahuluarea near the present zoo. The following year Captain John Mor-riseau, Trousseau's nephew, who was on leave from the FrenchArmy, came to Honolulu to assist the doctor with his ostriches.The public became very interested in the birds, and the localnewspapers kept a close account of their progress.67

In 1892, Morriseau was recalled to duty in France. The ostrichfarm began to suffer, and Trousseau's great expectations for itssuccess did not materialize.

REVOLUTION, 1893

Trousseau wrote a lengthy account of the revolution and theevents which led up to the overthrow of the Monarchy in a memo-rial directed to James Blount, the United States Commissioner tothe Hawaiian Islands. Mr. Blount had been sent by the Presidentof the United States to investigate the events leading up to theoverthrow of the Monarchy and what part officials and the armedforces of the United States may have played in it. Trousseau'sopinion, however, was initially unsolicited. Blount testified re-garding Trousseau's statements:

There was a communication he sent. I did not like it. I never said aword to anybody about this paper from this physician, and I neversent for him. I made it a point not to get acquainted with him for


some time after that occurred. For some time he used to come tothe hotel, and for a long time I never met him. . . . I must add thisqualification: Learning much later on that Trousseau and otherpersons were with the Queen when she learned of the landing ofthe troops, I sought from them the effect on her mind and on theminds of those about her. For this purpose I asked Doctor Trous-seau to write me his recollections of this matter.68

In his initial statement to Blount, Trousseau wrote:

Almost daily, to my personal knowledge, meetings were held atMr. Stevens's house on which the possibilities of a peaceful revolu-tion with the prospects of annexation [to the United States] werediscussed. Prominent at these meetings were the Chief Justice,Mr. Dole, Mr. Thurston, Mr. [Alfred S.] Hartwell, [Charles] Car-ter and others. . . ,69

In his drawn-out memorial, Trousseau also expressed his opin-ion of the missionaries to Blount:

As far as the missionaries proper are concerned, they broughtexactly nothing. They were housed and fed by the natives, theirchildren tended for them, their churches built them free ofexpense. They were given land by the people, who served them,did all the most menial work without compensation, drew themabout in hand carts to church and to their social entertainments,and paid them besides a tax of 10 cents a week per head for eachadult all through the districts over which they had spiritual con-trol. . . .

Trousseau blamed sons of the missionaries for the revolution:

The revolution was made by Messrs. Dole, Thurston, W. O.Smith, C. L. Carter, [Albert F.] Judd, all sons of missionaries,who owe the whole of their social and pecuniary position to thenatives. . . . In their respective professions as lawyers they werenever able to make a living.

The doctor added:


These people on the whole are good enough people, honest, I daresay on any subject in which their ambition or their interest is notdirectly connected. But they are all suffering from a very seriouscomplaint of a swelled head, incurable I'm afraid. . . .

Contradictions to Trousseau's statements appeared in Hono-lulu newspapers later in the year. Copies were sent to the UnitedStates Senate and were recorded in the testimony given before thecommittee on foreign relations.70 Dole, Judd, and Hartwell eachdenied that they had met with Stevens to discuss annexation.

Trousseau's letter, dated December 28, 1893, written in answerto their denials, also appeared:

Hon. S. B. Dole, President of the Provisional Government: DearSir, When I made to Mr. Blount the statements you refer to inyour letter of the 27th, I believed them to be correct, as my infor-mation came from a source that I could not consider but reliable.

In spite of difference of opinion and bitterness of feeling on mypart engendered by the vile abuse I have been submitted to byyour political side, I have always considered you as a gentleman.

You say that you attended no meetings at Mr. Stevens's house;let it be so; I accept your word for it.

Very respectfully yours, G. Trousseau71

Added to his outspoken memorial was his defense of QueenLili'uokalani. Mr. Stevens, during his testimony before the Sen-ate committee, made numerous slanderous attacks on the privatecharacter of the Queen. Trousseau disclaimed any improprietycommitted by the Queen and informed Blount:

That Mr. Stevens believes these stories I strongly doubt. They suithis purpose. If he is not wholly responsible for them, he hasaccepted them, without control, from Sereno Bishop, and otherswho know better. . . . The whole matter, Mr. Blount, is an out-rage that makes an honest man's blood boil.72

These statements, no doubt, triggered Mr. Stevens's derogatorycomments about Trousseau cited earlier.

In spite of Trousseau's strong royalist sympathies, he was asked


by the Provisional Government to again serve as Port Physicianfor the Board of Health and on the Board of Physicians for exam-ining lepers. But in July of 1893, n e resigned from the Board ofPhysicians. His short letter of resignation appeared in the Adver-tiser along with the following editorial comment:

The resignation of Dr. Trousseau from the medical board of exam-iners of leprosy was tendered at the meeting of the Board of Healthyesterday and accepted.

Accompanying his resignation was a long private letter, inwhich the doctor stated reasons for his course. The letter in ques-tion referred directly to the late exhaustive report on leprosy by theIndian commission, which holds that leprosy is non-contagious byinoculation. The doctor certainly has the courage of his convic-tions, if he holds this view, for it is well known to be against theconsensus of the medical opinion of the world. The board refusedto allow the publication of Dr. Trousseau's letter without his con-sent. It is to be hoped the doctor will allow its speedy publication,as it raises important questions, which are of interest here andwhich cannot be fairly discussed if the doctor allows his light to behidden under a bushel.73

In this private letter to W. O. Smith, an attorney who wasappointed President of the Board of Health, Trousseau stated thathis opinion regarding leprosy had never changed and that he hadmerely been abiding by the law of segregation all these years. Hewrote that he could see no advantage in the segregation of lepers,"hence my resolution to be no more a party to a measure that Ithink useless and unscientific."74

Trousseau continued to hold the position of Port Physician.This motivated the editor of the new Hawaiian Star to write underthe headline, "The Monarchists Must Go":

Doctor Trousseau, an avowed Royalist, still holds the job of PortPhysician and pulls down between three and four thousand a year.How much of this money goes to support one of the Royalistorgans he of course will not say. How much time its possessiongives to him to invest anti segregation doctrines and other schemesinimical to the Provisional Government may only be inferred. It


appears that while he enjoys his fine public income, several Annex-ationist doctors who bore arms in 1887 and again in 1893 are left outin the cold. Any one of these could serve as Port Physician withcredit to himself and loyalty to his employers.

Two days later, the editor continued his attack on Trousseau:

Can it be that no annexationist doctor, of the proper medicalattainments could be persuaded to take the place of that uncon-scionable Royalist, Dr. Anti-Segregationist Trousseau? We haveheard the official income of the Port Physician rated all the wayfrom $5,000 to $15,000 a year. . . . By much searching could notthe Government find a physician to accept this tempting billet?—One who would not use his means to discredit the cause of annexa-tion and oppose the tenure of his employers?75

Following this last onslaught by the Hawaiian Star, Trousseauhanded in his resignation. The Board officers were not all inagreement whether or not to accept it. Feelings ran high. Onemember announced that if Trousseau's resignation was acceptedhe, too, would resign; yet another said if it was not accepted hewould leave.76 Finally, a consensus was reached. The Boardpassed this resolution:

Resolved that the Secretary of the Board acknowledge the receiptof Doctor Trousseau's letter tendering his resignation as Port Phy-sician of the Port of Honolulu and to inform him that his resigna-tion has been accepted and to state to the doctor that the Boarddesires to express its high appreciation of the able manner in whichhe has discharged the duties of his office and to thank him. . . .77

This ended Trousseau's long association with the Board ofHealth.

The Hawaiian Historical Society was founded in 1892, andTrousseau became one of its early members. Years earlier he hadbeen an active member of the Natural History and MicroscopicalSociety, serving as its corresponding secretary. King Kalakauawas chairman of the organization. The purpose of the latter soci-ety was to collect artifacts of stone, calabashes, and even feather


capes. While Trousseau was in Kona, he must have discoveredthe "Cave of Idols" on the land of Keauhou. The following state-ment regarding wooden images is recorded in the Bishop Muse-um's collection of Hawaiian Ethnological Notes:

. . . because they were so heavy that they could not be taken any-where, they were kept in secret caves in the mountains of Kona,Hawaii and stone images were made as substitutes for the woodenimages. Some of the wooden images were found in the upland ofKainaliu by the French doctor who was raising sheep on Hualalai.He took them all.78

Robert Louis Stevenson made a return visit to Hawai'i in thefall of 1893. Stevenson shared Trousseau's enthusiasm for theMonarchy. He took no notice of the Provisional Government anddeclined to see President Dole. Trousseau was consulted byStevenson as his physician, and they held long conversations inFrench.79

Makanoe's husband, Kaaepa, died in the spring of 1894. It wasnot long after his death that Trousseau made his will. He lefteverything to Makanoe, the widow of Kaaepa: "My insurancepolicy is already transferred to her and the house at Makikibelongs to her by deed." He instructed the executers of his estate,"Let my funeral be as inexpensive as possible and bury me in theMakiki Cemetery lot belonging to the native woman, Makanoe,who is living on my premises." He concluded:

Now you fully understand that all my Property after all debts paidgoes to the woman Makanoe. Pay the mortages, do not let her holdany thing but perfectly clear sell every thing except what furnitureshe wishes to keep for her own use, and above all be kind and goodto her. I die poor and I am only sorry for her sake, as I never hadany love for money and always had enough. I thank you both forthe trouble you will take and wish you good bye. As far as I amconcerned I am tired of life and wish for death.80

The will was witnessed by A. J. Cartwright and his son Bruce onMarch 8,1894.

Trousseau died two months later on May 4, just after his 61st


birthday. Unfortunately for Makanoe, most of his property wasencumbered by large mortgages. Several papers carried his obitu-ary. The sketch appearing in the Advertiser stated that he had beenill for several weeks, and it was believed that his death had beencaused by an overdose of sedative.81 The Hawaiian Gazette gavethis account of the funeral:

Laid at Rest The Funeral of the Late Dr. Trousseau LargelyAttended. The funeral of the late Dr. George Trousseau took placeyesterday afternoon from the residence on Punchbowl Street. Dur-ing the day a large number of people called. Three o'clock was thehour named for the funeral to take place and long before that hourthe house and grounds were crowded with people from all walks oflife. The body was encased in a handsome casket which rested inthe parlor. It was surrounded by many floral pieces.

Out on the lawn, the Government Band was stationed and whenthe body was being carried to the hearse a dirge was played.

The funeral cortege was a long one. It was led by a squad ofpolice followed by the National Band. Then came the hearse andcarriages. The body was interred at the Makiki Cemetery [fig. 2].The services of the Catholic Church were held at both the resi-dence and grave site. . . .

This was followed by a list of pall-bearers, most of whom hadbeen Royalist sympathizers.82

It was not long after Trousseau had been laid to rest besideKaaepa that Madame Trousseau petitioned the court as the legalheir to his estate. The petition was finally settled in March of 1897.All parties agreed that upon payment of one-sixth of the purchaseprice (of the real property to be sold) to Madame Trousseau shewould release her right of dower.83 The public auction of the realestate took place on April 3rd and in most cases for far less thanthe value Trousseau had placed on it. A small item appeared in alocal paper, "Catamarans are not in demand just now. Onebelonging to the estate of Dr. Trousseau was sold on Saturdayfor $10."

Makanoe eventually moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where oneof her daughters lived. She died there in 1899 at just 41 years ofage. She left land on O'ahu and Hawai'i, all of which had been


FIG. 2. The gravestone of Doctor Trousseau. (Author's photo.)

given her by Georges Trousseau, to her daughter Hanna Kaaepaof Utah. Hanna was instructed to see that her sister, Emilia Pro-sser (nee Emilia Kaaepa), and her brother, George Kaaepa, eachreceive $100. Emilia and George, both lepers, resided at Kalau-papa on Moloka'i.84

The last 20 years of Trousseau's life spent in the Hawaiian


Islands were often troubled. He was constantly plagued withmoney problems. Though a man of vision, ready to try new ven-tures, he apparently used very poor judgment when it came tobusiness matters. He had a cross section of friends, both foreignresidents as well as Native Hawaiians, as was evident at hisfuneral. He faithfully supported the Hawaiian Monarchy andstood up for the royalists which caused bitter feelings amongmany of his associates who backed the annexationists. It musthave been very disappointing for him to see so little progress inthe treatment of leprosy, particularly since two of Makanoe's chil-dren were victims of the disease. Perhaps it was because of thisdisenchantment with the medical world that he lost his will to live.

NOTES1 W. Herbert Purvis, unpublished notes concerning time spent at Kukuihaele,

Hawai'i, during the years 1879-1882: copies of notes owned by SherwoodGreenwell, Kona.

2 Lorrin A. Thurston, Memoirs of the Hawaiian Revolution (Honolulu: AdvertiserPublishing, 1936) 402.

3 Francis J. Halford, M.D., 9 Doctors and God (Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 1954)

303-4.4 Three documents attesting to the birth of Georges Philippe Trousseau and his

sons, Armand Henri and Rene Adolphe, Extrait des Minutes des Actes de Nais-sance, Prefecture du Department de la Seine, AH.

5 PCA, obituary, 5 May, 1894.6 First Circuit Court, Law 1942, Trousseau vs Trousseau, AH.7 First Circuit Court, Law 1942, Trousseau vs Trousseau, AH.8 Trousseau arrived on the Nevada on May 8, 1872: F, 1 June 1872; Board of

Health Minutes, hereafter referred to as BHM, 25 May 1872, AH.9 BHM, 11 July 1872.10 BHM, 8 Feb. 1873; IDLB, 5 Apr. 1873, AH.11 R. A. Lyman, "Recollections of Kamehameha V," in Third Annual Report of

the Hawaiian Historical Society (1895) 19.12 Certificate from Lunalilo to Dr. Geo. Tousseau, 6 Feb. 1873, A.H.13 PCA, 27, 28, and 30 June 1890.14 BHM, 8 Feb. 1873.15 Linda W. Greene, Exile in Paradise: The Isolation of Hawai'i's Victims and Devel-

opment of Kalaupapa Settlement, 1865 to the Present (Denver: U.S. Department ofthe Interior, National Park Service, 1985) 12-3.

16 Halford, g Doctors and God 303-4.17 BHM, 1 Mar. 1873.


18 Nuhou, 4 Apr. 1873.19 IDLB,5 Apr. 1873.20 Alfons L. Korn, The Victorian Visitors (Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 1958) 310.

Doctor Robert McKibbin Jr., a court physician and a friend of KamehamehaIV, served as a surgeon at Queen's Hospital in the 1860s and 1870s; Nuhou, 11Apr. 1873.

21 Alfons L. Korn, News From Molokai (Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 1976). Thereare many references to Trousseau in the letters between Queen Emma andPeter Kaeo.

22 PCA, 12 July 1873.23 Board of Health Letters, 15 July 1893, AH, hereafter referred to as BHL.24 R a l p h L . K u y k e n d a l l , The Hawaiian Kingdom, vo l . 2 ,1854-1874, Twenty Critical

Years (Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 1966) 259, n. 64; Henry Peirce to GeorgeFitch, no. 220, 2 Sept. 1873, USDS (United States Department of State) Dis-patches, Hawaii, vol. 25, AH. Peirce, a supporter of David Kalakaua's suc-cessful campaign for the throne, accompanied the King to Washington, D.C.in 1874 on behalf of a reciprocity treaty.

25 Liliuokalani, Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen (Boston: Lee and Shephard, 1898)

39-26 Ethel M. Damon, Sanford Ballard Dole and His Hawaii (Palo Alto: Pacific

Books, 1957) 127.27 Alfred S. Hartwell, "Forty Years of Hawaii Nei," in 54th Annual Report oj the

Hawaiian Historical Society (1945) 17.28 Nuhou, 21 A p r . 1874.29 BHM, 20 Aug. 1874.30 IDLB, 29 Sept. 1875.31 G. Podmore, "A Narrative on Keauhou 2, North Kona, Hawaii," 1964, ms.

written for the Bishop Estate trustees, copy in Kona Historical Society.Charles Wall, who came to Hawai'i in the late 1850s, held lease 271 fromCharles R. Bishop and J. O. Dominis, administrators of the Estate Kameha-meha V, 15 May 1873; Bill of Sale, Charles Wall to George Trousseau, 21 Oct.1875, Bureau of Conveyances, Honolulu.

32 Providing insight to the term punalua are Mary Kawena Pukui, E. W. Haer-tig, M.D., Catherine A. Lee, Nana I Ke Kumu, vol. 2 (Honolulu: Hui Hanai):90-1, and E. S. Craighill Handy and Mary Kawena Pukui, The PolynesianFamily System in Ka 'u, Hawai'i (Rutland, VT: Chas. E. Tuttle, 1972) 56-7.

33 Makiki Cemetary, tombstone inscription: "Kaaepa, Kahaikupuna [memorialto the ancestor], Make ma Honolulu [died at Honolulu] February 3, 1894 48 M.H." ("M. H." signified makahiki, the deceased's age.) The Trousseau tomb isinscribed: "George Trousseau, Born: Paris, France May 1, 1833, Died: Hono-lulu, Hawaii May 4,1894."

34 Lanakila Church, Kainaliu, Kona, Hawai'i, meetings of the 'Aha Luna (dea-cons) of the churches of central Kona, 1872-1885, copies at Kona HistoricalSociety.


35 Podmore, "A Narrative on Keauhou" 2.36 Report of the Commissioner to the Hawaiian Islands submitted by James H.

Blount, 1893, 53rd Congress, 2nd Session, House of Representatives, ex. doc.

47::517-31.

37 K o r n , News from Molokai 304.38 Men of Hawaii, vol. 1, J. W. Sidwell, ed. (Honolulu: HSB, 1917): 59; Trous-

seau, letter to A. J. Cartwright, 8 Apr. 1877. Cartwright was in business inHonolulu with his son, Bruce Cartwright.

39 IDLB, letters to Trousseau, Book 13, 21 Dec. 1875 and 31 Jan. 1876; Book 14,5 Feb., 7 May, and 12 and 25 June 1877.

40 Minutes of Meetings held by the Deacons of Lanakila Church, Kainaliu,Hawaii, 28 June 1877 and 24 Oct. 1878.

41 Henry Nicholas Greenwell, born 9 Jan. 1826 in Durham, England, arrived inHawai'i Jan. 1850. He moved to Kona later that year and subsequently ranretail stores, planted oranges and coffee, served as Collector of the Port atKealakekua and Ka'awaloa, and held the positions of Postmaster and SchoolSuperintendent: Kona Historical Society files.

42 Deed, G. Trousseau to H. N. Greenwell, 11 Feb. 1879, Book 60:67-8, and Billof Sale, Trousseau to Greenwell, 11 Feb. 1879. Book 60:69-71, Bureau of Con-veyances.

43 William Herbert Purvis, born in 1858 in Sussex, England, came to Hawai'i in1878 and lived at Kukuihaele, on the island of Hawai'i, from 1879 to 1890. Heand his father John eventually became the sole owners of the Pacific SugarMill which they sold in 1928. Herbert died in 1950; John Purvis diary, 1879-1880, copies owned by Sherwood Greenwell.

44 W. Herbert Purvis, Notes.45 John Purvis, Diary, 2 Aug. 1880.46 Saturday Press, 11 M a r c h 1882.47 First Circuit Court, Law 1942, AH.48 First Circuit Court, Probate 3307, Makanoe (w), AH.49 First Circuit Court, Law 1942, AH.50 PC A, 15 M a y 1882; B H M , 23 J u n e 1882.51 Nuhou, 14 M a r . a n d n Apr . 1873.52 O. A. Bushnell, "Dr. Sherwood Arning, the First Microbiologist in Hawaii,"

HJH, vol. 1 (1967): 13.53 J . M a r i o n S ims , The Story of My Life (1884; N e w York: D a C a p o Press , 1965)

337-42.54 Trousseau, letter to Dr. Fitch, 12 Aug. 1885, HHS.55 H . N . Greenwell , J o u r n a l , 11 J u n e 1886, Kona Historical Society.56 Privy Council Records , vol. 14:239, A H .57 R a l p h S. K u y k e n d a l l , The Hawaiian Kingdom, vol . 3 , 1874-1893, The Kaldkaua

Dynasty ( H o n o l u l u : U of H a w a i i P, 1967) 365.58 B H M , 7 J u l y 1887.59 B H M , 5 Oct . 1887.

D O C T O R G E O R G E S P H I L L I P E T R O U S S E A U 145

60 BHM, 5 Oct. 1887.61 BHM, 2 Oct. 1887.62 BHM, 26 Nov. 1887.63 IDLB, vol. 33, 29 Dec. 1887; BHM, 9 Jan. and 1 and 15 June, 1888.64 BHM 15 June 1888.65 BHL, 17 Jan. 1889, 9 Jan. 1890, and 17 June 1890.66 PCA, 27, 28, and 30 June 1890.67 Leonard Lueras, "Doctor Trousseau's Ostrich Farm," Latitude 20, Novem-

ber/December 1974.68 Testimony given before Committee on Foreign Relations, 27 Dec. 1893:417-18,

53rd Congress, 2nd Session, Senate report 227.69 53rd Congress, 2nd Session, House of Representatives, ex. doc. 47:517-31.70 53rd Congress, 2nd Session, Senate report 227:514-16.71 53rd Congress, 2nd Session, Senate report 227:514-16.72 53rd Congress, 2nd Session, House of Representatives, ex. doc. 47:530-1.

Reverend Sereno Bishop was a land surveyor, historian, and editor of TheFriend, a monthly journal.

73 PC A, 22 July 1893.74 BHL, 15 July 1893.75 Hawaiian Star, 29 and 31 Aug. 1893.76 Hawaiian Star, 1 Sept. 1893.77 BHM, vol. 3, 6 Sept. 1893.78 Hawaiian Ethnological Notes (HEN), vol. 1:486, J. S. Emerson collection,

BPBM.79 D a m o n , Sanford Ballard Dole 226.80 First Circuit Court, Probate 2899, G. Trousseau, AH.81 PC A, 5 May 1894.82 HG, 8 May 1894. Thus, both bands played at his funeral: the Government

Band, representing the Provisional Government, and the National Band,made up of musicians who remained loyal to the Queen.

83 First Circuit Court, Probate 2899, G. P. Trousseau, AH.84 First Circuit Court, Probate 3307, Makanoe (w), AH.

doctor georges phillipe trousseau, royal physiciandoctor trousseau was called on as a consultant by...

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